I'm on the dinner committee for the St. Louis BBWAA (Baseball Writers' Association of America). We're having our 61st annual dinner on Sunday Jan. 20th at Union Station in St Louis. We are honoring both Rachel Robinson, Jackie's widow, and Vera Clemente, Roberto's widow, with the Branch Rickey award for their longtime contributions to baseball.

I read about Roberto's 72 Charger SE in the Oct. issue of MCG. Quite the story. Roberto won it from Sport Magazine for being the MVP of the 71 World Series. He got to sit down and special order it. He chose a loaded Hemi Orange SE w/white vinyl roof, hideaway headlights, 440, 727 w/console and white buckets, p/s, p/b, a/c, AM/FM cassette, power windows, dual chrome mirrors, machine gun tips, both sways, luggage rack, and 14" road wheels. Quite a stunning car!

Roberto died on New Years Eve 1972 in a plane crash. He was attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to earthquake victims in Nicarauga. The car remained in Vera's possession until 2017. A Daytona Beach, FL Dodge dealer named Randy Dye was able to help get the car out of Puerto Rico. It went to auction and he bought it. Randy was a PA native and saw Roberto play in Game 5 of the 71 series. He has since restored the car.

When I heard that Vera was confirmed for our dinner, I contacted Randy and asked if he'd be interested in displaying his Charger. He was quite enthused and I just got confirmation that Randy has graciously agreed to bring it to St. Louis for our dinner. Randy knows Vera well from their phone conversations, but they have yet to meet in person. This will be their first meeting and the first time that Vera has seen the Charger since it's restoration. It will be quite the reunion. It's going to be really cool for me to meet Vera, Randy, and see the Charger. I can't wait. It's going to be an exciting evening for me! If anyone is interested in tickets, contact me.

He was my hero too, I walked and hitchhiked 20+ miles to Forbes Field to watch him play and then hung out near the player's field exit to say hello to him and watch him get into his Cadillac convertible to head home. He said hey and asked if we like that days game, of course we did but that part of the day was the best part, never forgot it either. 21 the greatest ever IMO

My friends and I used to walk to Forbes Field from Squirrel Hill and get seats in the left field bleachers for $1.00 back in the early sixties. I was a 7th-8th grader. I glad to say that I have seen Roberto Clemente in person throw out a runner rounding first base too far. Amazing!

One of the best at bat plays I watched was when Roberto Clemente swung and hit an intentional walk pitch. They were intentionally walking him and the pitch was just close enough on the outside for him to take a one handed swing at it. He fouled it off but it was a real eye opener for the other team's pitcher and catcher

One of the best at bat plays I watched was when Roberto Clemente swung and hit an intentional walk pitch. They were intentionally walking him and the pitch was just close enough on the outside for him to take a one handed swing at it. He fouled it off but it was a real eye opener for the other team's pitcher and catcher

I too remember Roberto Clemente - he was one of the greats. No surprise to me about his Puerto Rican heritage - I've been traveling there for the past 18 years for business & I can't begin to tell you how many truly wonderful people there are there. The food, the climate, the people - what an amazing place.

“Bear in mind that brains and learning, like muscle and physical skill, are articles of commerce. They are bought and sold. You can hire them by the year or by the hour. The only thing in the world not for sale is character.” (Antonin Scalia)

I'm sure the meeting with Vera and Randy, and her seeing the restored Charger is going to be quite emotional for everyone. We will have some media coverage, but we're going to make sure that everyone is standing back a respectful distance as we let them have their private moment together. When I first read the MCG article, being a Mopar and baseball fanatic, I was overwhelmed. When I heard we were honoring Vera at our dinner, the gears started spinning in my head. I figured that it was a long shot, but I had nothing to lose by contacting Randy. He was elated at the thought of finally getting to meet Vera. Randy has been nothing but gracious as the arrangements have come together. And I am really excited that I was able to make it all happen. It will be a memorable evening for me and everyone involved.